Multi vitamins recommended

c.i.- I take all kinds of vitamins and supplements. The multi that I take is Centrum Silver (that's for us older folks :-D )

For a number of years I've been taking Vicon Forte--available by prescription only. (Mr. Noddy has an excellent Rx plan). For the last year I've been taking Ocuvite "nutrition for the eyes" in an effort to stave off macular degeneration.

I take Vitamin C, which has seemed to have prevented me getting sick through the winter while everyone else felt like death. I take Vit B (when I remember) because a friend of mine swears it helps with depression.

Wilso, I drink orange juice every day for my vit C. And like you, I've not been sick with a cold for several years.

I drink orange juice as well and take vitamin B 100 complex. The viamin B 100 complex I take for stress and energy and the orange juice helps prevent me from getting sick.

Wilson and Montana, Has the vit B really helped eliminate depression? Would a placebo work as well?

Bata carotene is good for eyes.

CI
I really don't suffer from depression as I do from just plain stress, but it does help me a lot when I remember to take it. I was told if you're looking to fight stress that it has to be vitamin B 100 Complex instead of just regular vitamin B. The vitamin B 100 complex has vitamin B1,B2,B3,B6,B12,Biotin,Pantothenic Acid, Folic Acid,Choline Bitartate,Inoseotol, and Para-Aminobenzoic Acid.

The one I take is sub labelled "executive stress".

I was feeling a bit off colour the last couple of days. Went snorkelling and swimming today and now I feel great. NOthing like salt water, sunshine and sea air to clear the head!

For many years I have used Earl Mindell's Vitamin Bible as a point of reference when choosing vitamins. This book will increase your knowledge and awareness of the kind of vitamins your body needs and uses.

I'm rather convinced that everybody should get enough vitamins when eating "normally" = the best way to get the daily requirement of essential vitamins is to eat a balanced variety of food.

If some is good, a lot isn't always better - high doses of certain vitamins are actually toxic.

This single and busy guy has trouble eating a balanced diet. Hence the need for vitamin supplement.

Walter, Your post answered 90 percent of my question; a balanced diet has been our goal for many years, and the need for supplements should be minimal or none. We try to eat fruits, vegetables, seafood, and some meats, but I also allow myself some "treats" such as candy or ice cream once in awhile. Even had two glasses of Italian red wine at the Grand Jury dinner-party last night. That's primarily the reason I posed this question on A2K. Why would it be necessary to take vitamin supplements when our diet is 'balanced?'

No idea, c.i..

Had a look at some of the vitamin pills, the wife takes and those, we give my mother. (The first believes in it, for the latter, they are a kind of placebo.)

All have at least 100% of the vitamins, you must have per day, some vitamins go up to 400%/day.

Since humans can't store those additional vitamins, get normally some just be eating (even fast food) ...

To answer your question, c.i.: ever seen the buildings and heard of the salaries in the pharmaceutical industry?

A balanced diet as a way of life, which may be an ideal, is hard to obtain. If a vitamin is full in an orange then a calorie can be higher than desired..

It seems, we Europeans have a slightly different way of looking at this - there even have een talks about official warning on vitamin pill packages some years ago.

You'll find some info about this on this BBC-website and the links there (on the right site):

Warning over vitamin doses

Thanks for the warning, but I already know too much intake of minerals or some kind of vitamins, e.g., VA or VD, is more harmful than that of VB's, VC or VE. Balanced sense in the way of life is vital, in any case.

for about two years (2001/2002) my wife and i took 400 units of vitamin E daily(our physician was non-committal, did not see any real need for it. the pharmacist highly recommended it). after about a year and a-half, i started to get some unusual stomach "reactions" : excess burping, acid/sour stomach, nothing really serious. i happened to pick up a book written by a physician who is a consultant to quite a few well-known sport-teams. he pointed out that not everyone can tolerate (additional) vitamin E intake and that it can result in digestive problems. i stopped taking vitamin E : the problems disappeared . i suspect that i was getting plenty of vitamin E in my regular diet(includes quite a bit of whole grain, such as german style VOLLKORN-BROT - bread made from whole grain cereal, particularly whole kernel rye). so i'm staying away from vitamin E. hbg

We also eat whole grain wheat bread. I like to have a toast with peanut butter and jam.